Dennis Orcollo averts collapse as Philippines reaches semis in World Pool Team Championship

Dennis Orcollo lost a 5-2 lead against Chang Jung-lin in their 10-ball singles match before putting away the quarterfinal tie for the Philippines.

THE Philippines beat out Chinese Taipei, 4-2, on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the World Pool Team Championship in Beijing.

Dennis Orcollo and the duo of Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit came through in the final two matches to pull off the victory for the Philippines in a thrilling quarterfinal showdown.

The Philippines will next face China 1 made up of Li He Wen, Wu Jiaqing, Chu Bing Chia, women’s world 9-ball titlist Han Yu and Chen Siming. The host team defeated Singapore, 4-1, in the quarterfinals.

With the Philippines-Chinese Taipei match tied at 2-2, Orcollo lost a 5-2 lead as Chang Jung-lin tied the 10-ball singles match at 5-5. Orcollo reached hill before winning the battle of safeties for a 7-5 win.

Biado and Amit also squandered a 5-2 lead in the scotch doubles with Fu Che-wei and Chou Cheih-yu reaching hill, 6-5. But Biado and Amit tied the match before taking advantage of a dry break by Fu to win.

A 3-3 tie would have led to a shootout between the two teams.

“We were lucky we didn’t lose or it didn’t go to a shootout,” said Orcollo in an interview with WPA's official website. “I was so nervous. We want to win this for the entire Philippines. We want to make all Filipinos proud."

China 2 will take on Japan in the other semifinal round, guaranteeing an All-Asian final.